National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) was established in 1965 and since then, it has moved in line with the country's economic and social development goals. It now stands as one of the 10 major gas supply companies in the Middle East.

Processing natural gas output of the country; increasing the share of natural gas in the country's energy basket through substituting consumption of the liquid oil products with gas; raising export of natural gas to the regional and international markets using pipelines and other methods; attracting foreign investment through capital markets or joint projects; and improvement of structures for gaining maximum profits; competition in the international markets; maximum use of value-added of natural gas through diversification of products and gas transfers; cooperation with regional countries in all parts of the chain of natural gas supply and gas trade and transit; and influencing gas management in the region are among the defined duties of the NIGC.

In 2016, the NIGC celebrated the 50th anniversary of its establishment. That time, about 90 percent of the country's population, including 98 percent of the urban civilians and more than 67 percent of the villagers, were covered by the gas supply networks.

Gas consumption in Iran stood at 2.5 billion cubic meters in 1979, which rose to 4.5 billion cubic meters in 1989, to 46 billion cubic meters in 1997, to 100 billion cubic meters in 2005, and to 145 billion cubic meters in 2013. The population covered by the country's gas supply network was less than one percent in 1979, which rose to nine percent in 1989, 27 percent in 1997 and 61 percent in 2005. It stood at 87 percent in 2013 and at 90 percent in 2015. Ministry of Petroleum tries to bring the percentage of population covered by the national gas supply network to more than 95 percent by end of the Iranian calendar year of 1396 (2017-18). Regarding the fact that the parts benefiting from gas in the country are scattered, the percentage of more than 95 percent means gas supply to the entire part of the country.

In terms of gas exports, Iran is now exporting gas to Turkey only; the Ministry of Petroleum, however, has set as its priority increase in the gas exports to the level of 200 million cubic meters a day. Export of gas through pipeline to the neighboring countries and Iran LNG projects are given the priority. Iran is now has a share of two percent in the world gas market and gas share in Iran's energy basket is about 70 percent.